Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A method of processing data items received at a network element in a communications network, the network element being operable to forward data items at a rate up to a forwarding rate, the forwarding rate being subject to variation; the network element having a queue for data items awaiting forwarding and having a counter associated therewith, the counter maintaining a count in dependence on which a queue metric is derivable according to a predetermined algorithm; the method comprising: updating the count at a rate dependent on the forwarding rate; further updating the count in response to receipt of data items; and signalling a measure of congestion in respect of the network element in dependence on said queue metric; the method being characterised by further comprising: determining if there has been a variation in the forwarding rate, and in response to a determination that there has been a variation in the forwarding rate: altering the rate at which the count is being updated in accordance with the variation in the forwarding rate; and adjusting the counter in dependence on the variation in the forwarding rate whereby to cause a change in the queue metric.
A method for managing network congestion involves a network element that forwards data items at a variable rate. A queue holds items awaiting forwarding, and a counter tracks the queue's status to derive a congestion metric. The method updates the counter based on the forwarding rate and incoming data. When congestion is detected based on the queue metric, the system signals this congestion. Key to this method: if the forwarding rate changes, the rate at which the counter is updated is also changed, and the counter itself is adjusted to reflect the forwarding rate change, influencing the congestion metric. This adaptation allows for accurate congestion detection even with fluctuating forwarding rates.
2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the forwarding rate signifies the number of data items that the network element is operable to forward in a unit of time.
This method of processing data items received at a network element in a communications network, the network element being operable to forward data items at a rate up to a forwarding rate, the forwarding rate being subject to variation; the network element having a queue for data items awaiting forwarding and having a counter associated therewith, the counter maintaining a count in dependence on which a queue metric is derivable according to a predetermined algorithm; the method comprising: updating the count at a rate dependent on the forwarding rate; further updating the count in response to receipt of data items; and signalling a measure of congestion in respect of the network element in dependence on said queue metric; the method being characterised by further comprising: determining if there has been a variation in the forwarding rate, and in response to a determination that there has been a variation in the forwarding rate: altering the rate at which the count is being updated in accordance with the variation in the forwarding rate; and adjusting the counter in dependence on the variation in the forwarding rate whereby to cause a change in the queue metric. In this method, the "forwarding rate" specifically means the number of data items the network element can forward per unit of time (e.g., packets per second).
3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the forwarding rate signifies the volume of data that the network element is operable to forward in a unit of time.
This method of processing data items received at a network element in a communications network, the network element being operable to forward data items at a rate up to a forwarding rate, the forwarding rate being subject to variation; the network element having a queue for data items awaiting forwarding and having a counter associated therewith, the counter maintaining a count in dependence on which a queue metric is derivable according to a predetermined algorithm; the method comprising: updating the count at a rate dependent on the forwarding rate; further updating the count in response to receipt of data items; and signalling a measure of congestion in respect of the network element in dependence on said queue metric; the method being characterised by further comprising: determining if there has been a variation in the forwarding rate, and in response to a determination that there has been a variation in the forwarding rate: altering the rate at which the count is being updated in accordance with the variation in the forwarding rate; and adjusting the counter in dependence on the variation in the forwarding rate whereby to cause a change in the queue metric. Here, the "forwarding rate" is defined as the volume of data (e.g., megabits) that the network element can forward per unit of time.
4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of further updating the count is performed in dependence on the number of data items received and/or the rate at which data items are received.
This method of processing data items received at a network element in a communications network, the network element being operable to forward data items at a rate up to a forwarding rate, the forwarding rate being subject to variation; the network element having a queue for data items awaiting forwarding and having a counter associated therewith, the counter maintaining a count in dependence on which a queue metric is derivable according to a predetermined algorithm; the method comprising: updating the count at a rate dependent on the forwarding rate; further updating the count in response to receipt of data items; and signalling a measure of congestion in respect of the network element in dependence on said queue metric; the method being characterised by further comprising: determining if there has been a variation in the forwarding rate, and in response to a determination that there has been a variation in the forwarding rate: altering the rate at which the count is being updated in accordance with the variation in the forwarding rate; and adjusting the counter in dependence on the variation in the forwarding rate whereby to cause a change in the queue metric. The step of updating the counter based on received data takes into account the number of data items received and/or the rate at which they are received.
5. A method according to claim 1 the step of further updating the count is performed in dependence on the volume of data received and/or the rate at which data is received.
This method of processing data items received at a network element in a communications network, the network element being operable to forward data items at a rate up to a forwarding rate, the forwarding rate being subject to variation; the network element having a queue for data items awaiting forwarding and having a counter associated therewith, the counter maintaining a count in dependence on which a queue metric is derivable according to a predetermined algorithm; the method comprising: updating the count at a rate dependent on the forwarding rate; further updating the count in response to receipt of data items; and signalling a measure of congestion in respect of the network element in dependence on said queue metric; the method being characterised by further comprising: determining if there has been a variation in the forwarding rate, and in response to a determination that there has been a variation in the forwarding rate: altering the rate at which the count is being updated in accordance with the variation in the forwarding rate; and adjusting the counter in dependence on the variation in the forwarding rate whereby to cause a change in the queue metric. The step of updating the counter based on received data considers the volume of data received and/or the rate at which the data is received.
6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the queue metric is a measure of the level of the count.
This method of processing data items received at a network element in a communications network, the network element being operable to forward data items at a rate up to a forwarding rate, the forwarding rate being subject to variation; the network element having a queue for data items awaiting forwarding and having a counter associated therewith, the counter maintaining a count in dependence on which a queue metric is derivable according to a predetermined algorithm; the method comprising: updating the count at a rate dependent on the forwarding rate; further updating the count in response to receipt of data items; and signalling a measure of congestion in respect of the network element in dependence on said queue metric; the method being characterised by further comprising: determining if there has been a variation in the forwarding rate, and in response to a determination that there has been a variation in the forwarding rate: altering the rate at which the count is being updated in accordance with the variation in the forwarding rate; and adjusting the counter in dependence on the variation in the forwarding rate whereby to cause a change in the queue metric. Here, the queue metric used to determine congestion is simply a measure of the current value of the counter.
7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the queue metric is an averaged measure dependent on measures of the level of the count over a period of time.
This method of processing data items received at a network element in a communications network, the network element being operable to forward data items at a rate up to a forwarding rate, the forwarding rate being subject to variation; the network element having a queue for data items awaiting forwarding and having a counter associated therewith, the counter maintaining a count in dependence on which a queue metric is derivable according to a predetermined algorithm; the method comprising: updating the count at a rate dependent on the forwarding rate; further updating the count in response to receipt of data items; and signalling a measure of congestion in respect of the network element in dependence on said queue metric; the method being characterised by further comprising: determining if there has been a variation in the forwarding rate, and in response to a determination that there has been a variation in the forwarding rate: altering the rate at which the count is being updated in accordance with the variation in the forwarding rate; and adjusting the counter in dependence on the variation in the forwarding rate whereby to cause a change in the queue metric. The queue metric is calculated as an average of counter values over a time window.
8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the queue metric is a measure of disparity between the count and a counter threshold.
This method of processing data items received at a network element in a communications network, the network element being operable to forward data items at a rate up to a forwarding rate, the forwarding rate being subject to variation; the network element having a queue for data items awaiting forwarding and having a counter associated therewith, the counter maintaining a count in dependence on which a queue metric is derivable according to a predetermined algorithm; the method comprising: updating the count at a rate dependent on the forwarding rate; further updating the count in response to receipt of data items; and signalling a measure of congestion in respect of the network element in dependence on said queue metric; the method being characterised by further comprising: determining if there has been a variation in the forwarding rate, and in response to a determination that there has been a variation in the forwarding rate: altering the rate at which the count is being updated in accordance with the variation in the forwarding rate; and adjusting the counter in dependence on the variation in the forwarding rate whereby to cause a change in the queue metric. The congestion metric is based on the difference between the current counter value and a predefined threshold.
9. A method according to claim 8 , wherein adjusting the counter in response to a determination that there has been a variation in the forwarding rate comprises updating the count.
This method of processing data items received at a network element in a communications network, the network element being operable to forward data items at a rate up to a forwarding rate, the forwarding rate being subject to variation; the network element having a queue for data items awaiting forwarding and having a counter associated therewith, the counter maintaining a count in dependence on which a queue metric is derivable according to a predetermined algorithm; the method comprising: updating the count at a rate dependent on the forwarding rate; further updating the count in response to receipt of data items; and signalling a measure of congestion in respect of the network element in dependence on said queue metric; the method being characterised by further comprising: determining if there has been a variation in the forwarding rate, and in response to a determination that there has been a variation in the forwarding rate: altering the rate at which the count is being updated in accordance with the variation in the forwarding rate; and adjusting the counter in dependence on the variation in the forwarding rate whereby to cause a change in the queue metric, where the queue metric is a measure of disparity between the count and a counter threshold. Adjusting the counter when the forwarding rate changes involves directly updating the counter's current value.
10. A method according to claim 8 , wherein adjusting the counter in response to a determination that there has been a variation in the forwarding rate comprises updating the counter threshold.
This method of processing data items received at a network element in a communications network, the network element being operable to forward data items at a rate up to a forwarding rate, the forwarding rate being subject to variation; the network element having a queue for data items awaiting forwarding and having a counter associated therewith, the counter maintaining a count in dependence on which a queue metric is derivable according to a predetermined algorithm; the method comprising: updating the count at a rate dependent on the forwarding rate; further updating the count in response to receipt of data items; and signalling a measure of congestion in respect of the network element in dependence on said queue metric; the method being characterised by further comprising: determining if there has been a variation in the forwarding rate, and in response to a determination that there has been a variation in the forwarding rate: altering the rate at which the count is being updated in accordance with the variation in the forwarding rate; and adjusting the counter in dependence on the variation in the forwarding rate whereby to cause a change in the queue metric, where the queue metric is a measure of disparity between the count and a counter threshold. Adjusting the counter in response to a change in forwarding rate means updating the threshold value.
11. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of signalling a measure of congestion comprises determining whether or not to perform one or more signalling actions in respect of said data items in dependence on the state of said queue metric and performing or not performing said one or more signalling actions in dependence on said determination.
This method of processing data items received at a network element in a communications network, the network element being operable to forward data items at a rate up to a forwarding rate, the forwarding rate being subject to variation; the network element having a queue for data items awaiting forwarding and having a counter associated therewith, the counter maintaining a count in dependence on which a queue metric is derivable according to a predetermined algorithm; the method comprising: updating the count at a rate dependent on the forwarding rate; further updating the count in response to receipt of data items; and signalling a measure of congestion in respect of the network element in dependence on said queue metric; the method being characterised by further comprising: determining if there has been a variation in the forwarding rate, and in response to a determination that there has been a variation in the forwarding rate: altering the rate at which the count is being updated in accordance with the variation in the forwarding rate; and adjusting the counter in dependence on the variation in the forwarding rate whereby to cause a change in the queue metric. Signalling congestion involves deciding whether or not to take specific actions on the data items based on the queue metric's state, and then performing (or not performing) those actions.
12. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of signalling a measure of congestion comprises performing one or more signalling actions in respect of said data items with a probability dependent on said queue metric.
This method of processing data items received at a network element in a communications network, the network element being operable to forward data items at a rate up to a forwarding rate, the forwarding rate being subject to variation; the network element having a queue for data items awaiting forwarding and having a counter associated therewith, the counter maintaining a count in dependence on which a queue metric is derivable according to a predetermined algorithm; the method comprising: updating the count at a rate dependent on the forwarding rate; further updating the count in response to receipt of data items; and signalling a measure of congestion in respect of the network element in dependence on said queue metric; the method being characterised by further comprising: determining if there has been a variation in the forwarding rate, and in response to a determination that there has been a variation in the forwarding rate: altering the rate at which the count is being updated in accordance with the variation in the forwarding rate; and adjusting the counter in dependence on the variation in the forwarding rate whereby to cause a change in the queue metric. The method signals congestion by performing actions on the data items with a probability that depends directly on the queue metric (e.g., higher queue metric, higher probability of dropping a packet).
13. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of signalling a measure of congestion comprises performing one or more signalling actions in respect of said data items to an extent dependent on said queue metric.
This method of processing data items received at a network element in a communications network, the network element being operable to forward data items at a rate up to a forwarding rate, the forwarding rate being subject to variation; the network element having a queue for data items awaiting forwarding and having a counter associated therewith, the counter maintaining a count in dependence on which a queue metric is derivable according to a predetermined algorithm; the method comprising: updating the count at a rate dependent on the forwarding rate; further updating the count in response to receipt of data items; and signalling a measure of congestion in respect of the network element in dependence on said queue metric; the method being characterised by further comprising: determining if there has been a variation in the forwarding rate, and in response to a determination that there has been a variation in the forwarding rate: altering the rate at which the count is being updated in accordance with the variation in the forwarding rate; and adjusting the counter in dependence on the variation in the forwarding rate whereby to cause a change in the queue metric. The extent to which actions are performed on data items to signal congestion depends on the queue metric value. A higher congestion metric results in more aggressive actions.
14. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of signalling a measure of congestion comprises performing one or more of the following signalling actions in respect of one or more of said data items in dependence on said queue metric: marking, dropping; truncating; delaying; de-prioritising; re-routing; forwarding to a destination other than an intended destination; issuing an out-of-band congestion notification.
This invention relates to network congestion management, specifically methods for signaling congestion in data networks. The problem addressed is the need for efficient and flexible congestion signaling to manage data flow and prevent network overload. Traditional congestion control mechanisms often lack adaptability, leading to inefficiencies or network degradation. The method involves monitoring a queue metric, such as queue length or delay, to assess congestion levels. Based on this metric, the system performs one or more signaling actions on data items to mitigate congestion. These actions include marking packets to indicate congestion, dropping packets to reduce load, truncating packets to free up bandwidth, delaying transmission to ease congestion, de-prioritizing certain data items, re-routing traffic to less congested paths, forwarding data to an alternative destination, or issuing out-of-band congestion notifications to inform network nodes of congestion states. The specific actions taken depend on the severity of congestion as indicated by the queue metric, allowing for dynamic and adaptive congestion management. This approach improves network efficiency by proactively adjusting data flow in response to real-time congestion conditions.
15. A method of processing requests for service received at a processing element, the processing element being operable to process requests for service at a rate up to a processing rate, the processing rate being subject to variation; the processing element having a queue for requests awaiting processing and having a counter associated therewith, the counter maintaining a count in dependence on which a queue metric is derivable according to a predetermined algorithm; the method comprising: updating the count at a rate dependent on the processing rate; further updating the count in response to receipt of requests for service; and signalling a measure of congestion in respect of the processing element in dependence on said queue metric; the method being characterised by further comprising: determining if there has been a variation in the processing rate, and in response to a determination that there has been a variation in the processing rate: altering the rate at which the count is being updated in accordance with the variation in the processing rate; and adjusting the counter in dependence on the variation in the processing rate whereby to cause a change in the queue metric.
A method for managing congestion for service requests involves a processing element that handles requests at a variable rate. A queue holds requests awaiting processing, and a counter tracks the queue's status to derive a congestion metric. The method updates the counter based on the processing rate and incoming requests. Congestion is signalled based on the queue metric. The key feature is that if the processing rate changes, the rate at which the counter is updated also changes, and the counter itself is adjusted, influencing the congestion metric. This enables accurate congestion detection despite varying processing rates.
16. Apparatus operable to perform processing of data items, the apparatus comprising: a network element in a communications network, the network element including at least a first interface via which data items arrive at the network element and at least a second interface via which data items are forwarded from the network element so as to forward the data items at a rate up to a forwarding rate, the forwarding rate being subject to variation; the network element having a queue for data items awaiting forwarding and having a counter associated therewith, the counter maintaining a count in dependence on which a queue metric is derivable according to a predetermined algorithm; and a processing system, including a processor at least being configured to: update the count at a rate dependent on the forwarding rate; further update the count in response to receipt of data items; and signal a measure of congestion in respect of the network element in dependence on said queue metric; and determine if there has been a variation in the forwarding rate, and in response to a determination that there has been a variation in the forwarding rate: alter the rate at which the count is being updated in accordance with the variation in the forwarding rate; and adjust the counter in dependence on the variation in the forwarding rate whereby to cause a change in the queue metric.
An apparatus for processing data includes a network element with input and output interfaces for data items, forwarding data items at a variable rate. It has a queue and a counter for calculating a congestion metric. The apparatus uses a processing system to update the counter based on the forwarding rate and incoming data items and to signal congestion based on the queue metric. Critically, the processor is configured to detect changes in the forwarding rate. If a change occurs, the processor alters the counter update rate and adjusts the counter itself to change the queue metric in response to the rate change.
17. An apparatus for processing requests for service, the apparatus comprising: a processing element including at least a first interface via which data items arrive at the processing element and at least a second interface via which data items are forwarded from the processing element, the processing element being operable to process requests for service at a rate up to a processing rate, the processing rate being subject to variation; the processing element having a queue for requests awaiting processing and having a counter associated therewith, the counter maintaining a count in dependence on which a queue metric is derivable according to a predetermined algorithm; and a processing system, including a processor at least being configured to: update the count at a rate dependent on the processing rate; further update the count in response to receipt of requests for service; and signal a measure of congestion in respect of the processing element in dependence on said queue metric; and determine if there has been a variation in the processing rate, and in response to a determination that there has been a variation in the processing rate: alter the rate at which the count is being updated in accordance with the variation in the processing rate; and adjust the counter in dependence on the variation in the processing rate whereby to cause a change in the queue metric.
An apparatus processes service requests using a processing element that receives and forwards requests at a variable processing rate. A queue and a counter are used to calculate a queue metric for congestion detection. A processor updates the counter based on the processing rate and incoming requests and signals congestion based on the queue metric. Crucially, the processor detects changes in the processing rate and, in response to a change, alters the counter update rate and adjusts the counter to modify the queue metric, ensuring adaptation to variable processing conditions.
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August 22, 2017
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